The Social Democratic Party (SDP) has named Mogaji Olusegun Agboola as its governorship candidate for the 2027 election in Oyo State.

Agboola emerged after the party’s substitution plenary held in Ibadan on Tuesday, where members ratified the replacement of Michael Okunlade as the party’s governorship flagbearer.

The party said the decision marked a new phase in its preparations for the 2027 governorship election and charged Agboola with strengthening the party’s structures, reconciling members and taking its message across the state’s 33 local government areas.

Speaking after his emergence, Agboola said the SDP was contesting the election to win, not to negotiate political deals with other parties.

“The SDP is here to stay and our intention is to take over this state. There’s no negotiation on the table as far as we are concerned,” he said.

He promised to introduce a different approach to governance if elected.

He argued that Oyo State needed to move beyond what he described as conventional ways of running government.

“Our administration will focus on developing Oyo State’s human and material resources by creating systems that will help residents turn their skills and abilities into sustainable economic opportunities,” Agboola said.

He also invited other governorship candidates to a public debate on their policy proposals and urged aggrieved party members to return, saying the SDP would operate an open-door policy.

Earlier, the outgoing governorship candidate, Michael Okunlade, congratulated Agboola and described his emergence as an important step for the party.

He praised party members for conducting the substitution process peacefully and thanked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies for monitoring the exercise.

The Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, has arrived in Jos, Plateau State capital, a few hours after leaving Benue State.

While in Benue, youths beloved to be political thugs blocked a major access road to prevent Obi from entering the state capital, Makurdi.

Obi said he was heading to Yelewata to visit the families of victims of the June 2025 massacre when his convoy was stopped by some youths at Gyado Villa along Gboko Road.

He said: “I’m using this occasion to appeal to the IG of police, the Director of DSS, and other agencies to please intervene and call various state governors to order, I was a governor myself. This rascality cannot be allowed, we have a country, we too have followers and people who can confront these people on our own if the state and the government can no longer provide us security.

“We cannot go on this way, it’s not acceptable. This was why when I participated in the presidential campaign office launch of APM yesterday, I said we need unity, love, justice, and let this campaign be concentrated on ideas and issues that concerns Nigerians today like insecurity, hunger, insecurity, killings, and how we are going to pull our people out of poverty, that’s what it should be.”

The incident has generated reactions with human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, saying that the attackers were toying with fire.

Similarly, Obi’s running mate in the forthcoming 2027 general elections, Rabi’u Kwankwaso, called on the international community for protection of opposition leaders.

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